2022 Horticulture Internship Placements

Hannah Arbogast
Senior Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, South Carolina

I am Hannah Arbogast (they/she) and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. For my summer 2022 internship I worked at the SC Botanical Garden in Clemson, SC. I am interested in community gardening and urban farming, so I spent most of my time in the nursery and greenhouse section. We helped propagate and pot plants for the rest of the garden and in preparation for the fall plant sale. Some of the tasks included potting and repotting plants, watering, trimming, pruning, weeding, mulching, inspecting and monitoring plant health, mowing, and more weeding (it never ends!). I also had the opportunity to work in the Butterfly, Children’s, and Pollinator gardens where I enjoyed projects like adding a stone walkway and border to help prevent debris runoff to the main path. This has been one of my favorite jobs and I even had the chance to work alongside my mom when she volunteered a few days to help pot plants in preparation for the plant sale. The SC Botanical Garden is wonderful and there is a sense of pride being able to visit on the weekends to see all the work that has been accomplished.

Marie Aull
Rising Senior, Horticulture, Business
Hi Cotton, St. Mathews, South Carolina

My name is Marie Aull and I am a senior Horticulture major and Business minor at Clemson University. This past summer I worked in the greenhouses at Hi Cotton in St. Mathews, South Carolina. I wanted to do my internship there because I wanted to learn the ins and outs of greenhouses. Working at Hi Cotton made me feel at home and welcomed. At the greenhouse, I worked on collecting cuttings, planting cuttings and seeds, watering, mixing fertilizer, potting, and even organizing tags in ABC order to better serve the company. I loved this internship because I was exposed to so much that I know will stick with me forever. I would highly recommend working at Hi Cotton.

Mark Burns
Rising Senior Horticulture Major
Bluefields Nursery Co. LLC
Mayesville, South Carolina

My name is Mark Burns, and I am a senior Horticulture student at Clemson University. This summer, I interned with Bluefields Nursery in Mayesville, South Carolina. At Bluefields, I was privileged to work in several areas of the business. A few of the areas I participated in include pruning, potting, spacing, inventorying, delivering orders, loading trucks, interacting with customers, and working beside some of the nicest people! I am very interested in the wholesale production of plants, and my time at Bluefields was a fantastic introduction. Being exposed to numerous areas of the business gave me a much greater understanding of what it takes to be successful in the wholesale industry. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and feel that I am well equipped to continue a career in this field, as I also have my own business Oswego Flowers, LLC in Sumter, SC.

Charles Burrell
Senior, Horticulture
Musser Fruit Research Center
Seneca, South Carolina

I am Charles Burrell, and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer I have worked at Musser Fruit Research Center. My duties varied from day to day and included picking fruit, sorting fruit, weighing fruit for yield data, spreading mulch, thinning fruit, pruning trees, weeding, sanitizing, and cleaning equipment such as vehicles and tools. I have enjoyed the experience greatly and found it very fulfilling. I would recommend it to anyone interested in tree fruit production and research. I have been able to apply many concepts learned in classes to tasks I have performed at the research farm.

John Coltellino
Current Senior, Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Gardens
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is John Coltellino I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. Over this summer I worked at the South Carolina Botanical Garden. I was on a rotational internship working with each of the managers that run the different areas of the gardens.  I really enjoyed learning about the different areas of the garden and the responsibilities of each manager. During this internship I performed many tasks including: mowing grass, weeding, watering, pruning, planting, fixing brick paths, repairing small engines, propagating plants, irrigation repair, assisting in felling and removing large trees, and educating the next generation. My favorite part was working with the collections manager and the woody plant materials manager. This internship has shown me what I want to do with my career when I graduate.

Madison Corley
Rising Senior, Horticulture
Musser Fruit Research Farm
Seneca, South Carolina

My name is Madison Corley, and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer I have had the opportunity to intern at the Musser Fruit Research Farm. Some of my responsibilities at the farm were harvesting, sorting fruit, collecting data for research, irrigation repair, equipment operation, grafting, weeding and pruning. This experience has enabled me to learn about commercial peach production and the challenges that the industry faces. In addition to general production methods and systems, I was also exposed to different research methods and the daily operations of a commercial farm. This internship connected the dots on many concepts that have been taught in the classroom and has furthered my understanding of various horticultural practices. I have enjoyed my time at the farm making new connections and gaining useful knowledge.

Daesha DuPree
Senior Horticulture Major
South Carolina Botanical Garden
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is Daesha DuPree and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. I worked at the South Carolina Botanical Garden for my summer internship in order to experience a variety of horticultural tasks. I mowed grass, blew trails and pathways, used a weed eater, drove a tractor, operated a skid steer and Dingo, pulled weeds, rearranged plants, pruned, stuck cuttings, watered plants, hauled plant waste and helped repair the Natural Heritage trail. My reaction to my experience here was that I appreciated the different tasks I was able to complete and I was very excited to learn how to use all the equipment as well as drive the trucks and rangers.

Katie Glenn
Rising Junior Horticulture
Fieldstone Flowers – Liberty, SC,
Harvest Moon Farm and Flower – Pelzer, SC

My name is Katie Glenn, and I am a rising junior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This past summer I had the opportunity to work as a farmhand at two cut flower farms, Fieldstone Flowers in Liberty, SC and Harvest Moon Farm and Flower in Pelzer, SC. I wanted to learn firsthand what cut flower farming was like to determine if it was a realistic career option for me. I completed the same tasks at each farm which included: planting and transplanting flower successions, tending to the plants, weeding, harvesting, and arranging flowers. I thoroughly enjoyed this internship because it gave me the opportunity to learn a great deal about the industry and showed me that it was something I truly enjoyed.

Elizabeth Hudgens
Rising Junior, Horticulture major with English minor
Rock Cobble Farm
South Kent, Connecticut

My name is Elizabeth Hudgens, and I am a Horticulture student at Clemson University who got the wonderful experience of working for Rock Cobble Farm over the summer. This private estate in South Kent, Connecticut had so much to offer. With a rotation that covered main house gardens, vegetable and flower farms, and greenhouses, I was able to try so many things. At the gardens, my responsibilities involved weeding, pruning, thinning bushes, planting annuals, spreading beneficial insects, cutting flowers, and creating floral arrangements. At the greenhouse, watering, deadheading, and training vining plants were common tasks. The farm required harvesting crops, washing vegetables, preparing food for market, and planting transplants and seeds. This internship was an excellent experience for me. I feel like I learned so much and made many friends along the way. I broadened my knowledge of horticulture and grew my connections in the field, too.

Laura Lothridge
Rising Junior Horticulture
Interning for Dr. Melgar at Musser Fruit Research Center
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is Laura Lothridge, and I am a rising junior majoring in Horticulture at Clemson University. This summer I interned for Dr. Melgar’s research lab, working mainly at Musser Fruit Research Center. I worked on my experiment with Abscisic acid, analyzing a new peach disorder called bronzing. This involved taking lots of data for several different aspects, such as measuring photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, and sap nutrient concentration. It was lots of hard work in the sun, but I loved every second of it. I met lots of incredible people and learned more about the scientific method than I ever have before. If you love science and getting lots of free peaches, I would definitely recommend working for Dr. Melgar.

Healey Lucier
Senior Horticulture
South Carolina Botanical Gardens
Clemson, South Carolina

My name is Healey Lucier and I am a current senior horticulture student at Clemson University. My internship was completed at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens where I had the privilege to shadow and work with many different professionals in the horticultural world. The South Carolina Botanical Garden is a public garden based in Clemson SC. They started as a small camelia garden and have since grown to encompass a wide variety of native and non-native species and many educational opportunities. I worked in many areas of the garden including the desert, grounds, nursery, Natural Heritage Trail, and the arboretum. I also had the chance to work in the children’s camp where I was able to inspire the next generation of horticulturists. I loved being able to learn about the different sides of running and maintaining a public garden.

Braden Martin
Rising Senior Horticulture
Proscape Properties
Greer, South Carolina

My name is Braden Martin, and I am a rising senior Horticulture student at Clemson University. Over the summer I did my internship at a landscaping company called Proscape Properties in Greer, South Carolina. During my time here I learned how to use small engine equipment, cut grass, weed eat, pull and spray weeds, pruning and much more. I really enjoyed my time here working and I got to do a lot and meet a lot of people. I loved the work I did and I would recommend working here.

Caroline Pruden
Rising Junior Horticulture and Plant Pathology Minor
Rock Cobble Farm
South Kent, Connecticut

My name is Caroline Pruden; I major in Horticulture and minor in Plant Pathology at Clemson University. For three months in the summer of 2022, I worked in South Kent, Connecticut at Rock Cobble Farm, also known as Rock Cobble Cattle LLC, to gain some horticultural field experience and apply the information I learned in the classroom. I cycled through a variety of tasks including watering, mulching, weeding, pruning, orchid virology testing, creating flower arrangements, deadheading, applying biological controls, trellising, and fruit and vegetable crop harvesting. This internship has helped me narrow my focus by satisfying the curiosity of what many different areas of horticulture entail. I have learned that I prefer more English language arts-based work [such as writing] and would like to lean into agricultural lab research and agricultural finance for future opportunities. I never would have realized this about myself and my interests if not for an internship that allowed me to experience such a wide variety of horticultural emphases.

Tom Sanders
Rising Senior Horticulture
Edisto Research and Education Center
Blackville, South Carolina

My name is Tom Sanders and this summer I had the opportunity to intern at the Edisto Research and Education Center in Blackville, SC. My job responsibilities included sweeping fields and analyzing the insects and their populations within the field, as well as collecting different insects and determining the effects of varying levels of pesticides. I also assisted in maintaining the fields in which these tests were conducted by removing weeds and ensuring plant counts. Overall, I greatly enjoyed my time working at the Edisto Research and Education Center. I gained valuable knowledge that will carry over in my future career field, so I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in insects.

Joseph Wilson
Senior Horticulture Student
Clemson Cooperative Extension
Bishopville, South Carolina

My name is Joseph Wilson, and I am a senior Horticulture major at Clemson University. This summer, I was privileged to learn what it takes to be an Extension Agent at the Clemson Cooperative Extension. I worked in two different offices. At the Lexington, SC office, I worked with a Horticulture Agent, and at the Bishopville, SC office, I worked with an Agronomy Agent. I made farm visits and helped identify pests and disease pressure in crops such as southern blight in strawberries and bacterial wilt in tobacco. I was also able to help set up and attend the South Carolina Tobacco Tour and the Watermelon Field Day while running a couple of pesticide trials for Diamondback moth caterpillar pressure in cucurbits. In my job's day-to-day duties, I learned more about the function of farm equipment specific to different crops and the various crop cycles, growth stages, and how to identify when crops are ready to be harvested. I learned firsthand, through trials, about cover crop efficacy, how different conservation management practices such as no disc tilling, cover crops, crop rotation, Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and many more practices are being implemented in our farms today are helping save and restore the land we rely on for food. They also help prevent the application of harmful chemicals that leach into the environment and save farmers' input costs and time during a crop cycle. I can’t say enough about how grateful I am for this experience and how awesome it is to live the life of a Clemson Extension Agent out there making a difference for the best of our future.

Harrison Wood
Rising Junior Horticulture student
Russell Landscape LLC
Sugar Hill, Georgia

My name is Harrison Wood, and I am a Junior Horticulture student. I worked with Russell Landscape LLC in Sugar Hill, Georgia. Russell Landscape is located a short drive from Atlanta north on Interstate 85. Russell is a large commercial landscape company that works with the maintenance of properties, installation of new landscapes, and installing irrigation systems. While working as an intern, I was able to learn numerous aspects of the construction (installation) side of Russell Landscape. I learned how to read blueprints, layout shrubbery to be installed, lay sod, plant all different size trees, run equipment necessary to move trees and dig their holes, and so much more. Even though I was an intern, I felt very welcomed because the employees respected me and always looked to me for problem-solving ideas. I was able to help my boss, who was the safety representative for our branch, by presenting at the weekly safety meetings.